


Sacrifices

by screamingarrows



Series: We'll be okay [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Love, Evil OC's, Fluff and Angst, Gen, they had a bad childhood and im just here to shine some light on that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 09:08:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12385137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamingarrows/pseuds/screamingarrows
Summary: Mako ignites a small flame in his palm and curls his fingers around the warmth before squinting into the dark alley. It’s unusual for his brother to leave him sleeping against a wall, but upon deeper inspection, he doesn’t see Bolin at all. Sleepy confusion evaporates in the face of the raw terror he feels at seeing the wholly empty alley. Bolin should be back by now. His heart races in his ears and he looks to the mouth of the alley, seeing a few people pass by on their way home.Bolin should be back by now.





	Sacrifices

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work into the Avatar universe! Hopefully yall like it! 
> 
> Mako's 10 and Bolin's 8

**162 AG**

Mako bounces on his toes as nervous energy floods him. This heist has to go off well; he’s wasted the day planning and it’s been too long since he’s been successful. Bolin hasn’t had much luck either; he’s losing the baby-fat around his face, growing thin and gaunt. People were quick to give spare change to a wide eyed, baby-faced beggar, less quick to give to a thin, dirty boy.

At least he has the advantage of his green Earth Kingdom eyes, Mako thinks as he averts his own amber eyes- Fire Nation brown. Mako risks a glance at the clock; it’s a quarter after the hour and moments later, a crowd of people enter the grocery store as the train nearby runs right on time. His stomach twists and his throat tightens, his heart beats loud and fast in his ears. Mako moves in with the crowd and tries to blend in. He wastes no time in slipping around the store, pocketing a small loaf of bread and a block of cheese. He keeps an eye out for the workers; his loot feels too heavy in his pocket and he’s certain there’s a visible bulge. His hands keep flittering to the front of the pocket before he forces himself to relax.

He’s about to leave when a hand rests heavy on his shoulder. Mako jumps and jerks away, but the hand is tight on his collar and in a panic, he wiggles free of the jacket and darts out the door. He runs. His feet pounding the pavement and he can hear the shop owner pursue him to the street, but Mako runs across the street, barely avoiding being clipped by a car and keeps running. He casts a glance over his shoulder and sees the shop owner shaking the jacket at him and Mako turns a corner out of sight.

He leans up against the side of a building, the rough brick pressing against his bare arms and a chill rushes over him at the realization of what just occurred. Not only had he lost the day and ended up empty handed, empty bellied, but he also lost his jacket on the cusp of winter.

Hot tears well in his eyes and he chokes around a knot growing in his throat. He presses a hand to his face and resists the urge to completely crumple under the weight of his failed responsibilities. He has _one_ job: take care of Bolin. And he keeps _failing_. He can’t feed him, or clothe him, or put a roof over their heads. He’s failing and he wants his parents so badly.

Taking a few blind steps further down the road, he falls to his knees, hiding in the shade the building casts and crying into his knees. He aches with loss and he doesn’t know what to do. A scream builds in his throat and he clenches his teeth, pressing his forehead into his knees in effort to relieve the tightness in his chest.

He doesn’t know what to do and because of him they’ll spend another restless night with empty stomachs.

There is always the possibility that Bolin has made out better than him, but something in Mako chafes at the thought of depending on his baby brother. 

He cries until he can’t anymore; the despair still rests heavy in his chest, but tears no longer come. Slowly he stands and makes his way back to their alley. He opens the dumpster lid and digs around the pile of garbage, looking for anything he can offer to Bolin, anything to hold off having to see Bolin’s eye dark with sadness, but forcing a smile to his face to say, “it’s okay, Mako. We’ll get something tomorrow”. Unsurprisingly, he finds nothing. His breath comes heavy and if he could cry again, he would.

He jumps out of the dumpster easily and picks up a nearby stick, swinging with everything he has at the metal siding. The stick crashes against it loudly and Mako jumps back, startled, but anger still courses through him and he simply redirects the stick to the brick wall beside him. The wood scrapes and splinters and before long, he’s standing above a mess of broken sticks. He steps away, hands shaking and legs trembling. He backs up to the other side of the alley wall and curls against it. He feels out of control as shivers overwhelm his body and his stomach aches with hunger. 

He wants to go home.

\-----

Sleep overcomes him, because the next thing he knows is he’s jerking awake. The ground is cold on his butt and the wall is cold at his back; Mako ignites a small flame in his palm and curls his fingers around the warmth before squinting into the dark alley. It’s unusual for his brother to leave him sleeping against a wall, but upon deeper inspection, he doesn’t see Bolin at all. Sleepy confusion evaporates in the face of the raw terror he feels at seeing the wholly empty alley. Bolin should be back by now. His heart races in his ears and he looks to the mouth of the alley, seeing a few people pass by on their way home. _Bolin should be back by now_.

The flame in his hand grows and Mako snuffs it out as he hurries to the street. He spins, like Bolin might appear out of thin air in front of him, and grabs a fistful of hair. He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know where Bolin even _was_ today; he has no pictures of him to go asking after him.

His breath comes fast and light. Despite standing still, he feels like the world is moving too fast around him. There are gangs in the area; so far Mako has done a good job keeping himself and Bolin out of their way, but there’s always a risk and right now that risk is choking the air out of him. He has half a mind to go out searching for him, screaming his name down the emptying streets in hopes _someone_ will help him, but he doesn’t know what good that will do. At best, he finds Bolin, but also attracts unwanted attention and risks having police involved. They’d be sent to an orphanage. Probably separated. He _can’t_ risk that.

He retreats back into the alley and plays with a ball of fire in his hands. The bending helps eat away at the energy flooding his body. He isn’t sure how long he sat there, staring into the soft orange-yellow light of his element, when the sound of feet slapping the pavement snaps him to attention. He looks up and sees Bolin skidding into view at the end of the alley, turning so sharply he almost loses his balance. Relief washes over Mako so strongly he’s dizzy with it, the flame in his hands dimming at seeing his brother in front of him, but then they burst to life, prepared to face whoever was chasing Bolin.

Bolin jogs to a stop in front of him and Mako can see just enough to tell Bolin’s face is screwed in confusion.

“Everything alright?” he asks and Mako’s eyes flicker from the alley entrance to Bolin. 

“What?”

“Are you… in trouble?” Bolin asks. He glances over his shoulder and raises his arms to his chest, falling into a sloppy bending form.

“Me? No. Are you?” 

“ _Me_?”

Mako lets his hands fall to his side and he cocks his head at his brother. 

“Where were you?” he demands. Bolin looks away sheepishly before taking off the pack he’d had strapped to his back.

“I got dinner.”

“You, what?” Mako asks dumbly. He watches as Bolin takes out bowls of food and bread wrapped in a cloth. Mako’s stomach clenches at the sight, but he swallows hard and forces himself to look away.

“Bolin,” he hisses and Bolin looks up at him, his small smile falling from his face when he sees the angry look on Mako’s. “You have to return this!”

“What! Why?” Bolin’s voice is high with disbelief and Mako continues, breathing through his mouth so he won’t be able to smell the food that’s still so warm it’s steaming.

“You can’t steal this much! Someone will notice and we’ll get caught!”

Bolin’s mouth falls open and he blinks at Mako. “I didn’t steal it!” He sounds offended at the very thought. “Someone _gave_ it to me.”

“They gave it to you.” The statement is spoken blandly, but Bolin nods seriously all the same.

“They live across town and that’s why I was late—”

“—why were you working across town?”

Bolin’s face pinches in annoyance and he rolls his eyes.

“I _wasn’t_. I was playing with another earthbender and she invited me over.” His tone is sharp, daring Mako to interrupt again. “They live across town. Her mom told me to stay for dinner, but I said I had to get back home to _you_ and she gave me this!”

Mako’s mouth parts; he’s speechless and Bolin beams at him. “She said we could come over for dinner anytime we want!”

“That’s… that’s great news, Bo.” Mako sits down beside Bolin and leans over to scoop his brother into a tight hug. “Thank you,” he murmurs as Bolin squeezes him tight.

“I’m sorry I worried you,” Bolin says and Mako pulls back, giving Bolin a soft smile.

“So, tell me about your friend,” he says, like he hasn’t been frazzled all day, like they’re at home and everything is normal.

“Yuluz is great!” Bolin says, reaching for the food. Mako does the same and listens as Bolin talks around mouthfuls of food. It feels like the first time in weeks that they’ve had more than a few bites to eat and Mako fights back the growing anxiety at how quickly it’s depleted. Tomorrow he can worry about that. Tonight, he wants to enjoy having a full belly and having his brother home safe.

They fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly through the night.

\----- 

Mako fears the generosity of a family they don’t know was a one-time thing, so he’s pleasantly surprised when he comes home after a day of trying to find work to see Bolin already back with a spread of food before him. Mako returns Bolin’s beaming smile and joins his brother in eating to the point of discomfort. 

The next night, when it happens again, Bolin insists on showing Mako a new bending move he learnt while at the Pao Estate. Mako is bursting with pride at Bolin’s bending and he roughhouses with him; the two playfully battling as best they can for the first time in months. 

It keeps happening. Mako keeps returning home to warm food and a happy, energetic Bolin and Mako feels like things are finally starting to look up. Bolin learns new moves, more than Mako had been able to teach him, and Mako gets to spend his days doing trivial work for meager money, but now that he doesn’t have to scrounge and save every last piece for food, he can start to save up a small fund. He’s not foolish enough to think he’d be able to afford a new jacket, but maybe he could eventually save up for mittens or new shoes for Bolin. 

He finds himself listening with rapt attention as Bolin talks about his day every evening, filing away little details he learns about the Pao family. How the mother hugs Bolin when she sees him _(“As often as you do at least,” Bolin says teasingly._ ); how the father came home from work one day and taught Bolin how to move more like an earthbender _(“He said I move too much,” Bolin says, following Mako’s fluid movements through the streets, swiftly dodging the quickly flowing foot traffic. “Don’t know how that’s a bad thing when he couldn’t get me.”_ ). He learns of the two earthbending children, Yuluz and her brother Pong, who rough around with Bolin and spend their days together. Mako holds onto these details and he hopes, one day, he’ll be able to meet them and thank them for everything they’ve done for him and Bolin.

Weeks turn into a month, turns into two and Mako’s found a steady job sweeping a shop nearby in the late afternoon. The payment is little, but it’s easy work and it gets him indoors for a while without being run out again. He’s just leaving when hears Bolin shouting for him down the street. He looks up as his brother comes racing towards him and stops just short of barreling into him. He gasps for breath and gives Mako a cheeky smile; Mako lowers the red scarf tied up and around his lower face and furrows his brows.

“Hey, Mako,” Bolin pants and Mako sighs, his breath rising in front of him.

“What’re you up to?”

“Nothing,” Bolin grins and reaches out to grab Mako’s arm. “They want to meet you! They want you to come over for dinner.” Mako wonders if Bolin ran across the city to tell him.

“I told them you didn’t _like_ meeting new people, but they said to ask you anyways,” Bolin says and smiles widely at him. He’s been doing that more and more. Smiling. He has always been a positive kid, but now Mako’s hard-pressed to find a moment when Bolin wasn’t smiling about something.

“Okay,” Mako says and Bolin blinks in surprise before hugging him tightly. Bolin says a muffled excited, “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” through his teeth before letting go and darting off again.

Mako tries to make himself look presentable. He washes off as much dirt and grime as he can in the sink of a bathroom and wets his hair down flat against his forehead.

When Bolin finds him the second time that day, he’s much calmer, but no less happy. They walk together to the Pao Estate; Bolin taking the time to bend rocks in the air just to kick them back down and chattering about his day. Bolin grabs his hand as the house finally comes into view. Mako can see a man standing outside, playfully tossing mounds of earth towards two children, who break it apart midair and send a rain of dirt down on the man. The wind blows them clean of dust and Mako’s blood runs cold.

He knows this man.

He owns a shop downtown and he’d caught Mako stealing once. He had chased Mako down the street until he’d cornered him and when Mako had spun fearfully with two hands of flames, the man had scoffed out, “Damned Fire Nation scum,” and encased his feet past his ankles in hard dirt before kicking a cloud of dust at him. 

Without realizing it, he stops walking and Bolin turns to face him, eyebrows drawn together in worry.

“Mako? What’s wrong?”   

They don’t know Bolin’s mixed. How could they? With the green of his eyes, the strong line of his brow; he takes so much after their father, no one would ever assume he had a firebending mother. 

“I don’t want to go.”

“What? Mako—” 

“I said I don’t want to,” Mako says gruffly, crossing his arms. “You go. I’ll see you…” His words trail off. Saying _I’ll see you at home_ sounds ridiculous when they’re surrounded by _actual_ homes where people sleep in _beds_ and have mothers and fathers and haven’t had to beg for food. “I’ll see you tonight,” he says instead and looks away. Bolin looks angry for a moment before his features fall to sadness. 

“Okay,” he says, voice low and morose. Mako risks a look at him and Bolin’s head is hanging low, his shoulders drooping. Mako wants to apologize; he wants to go sit with Bolin and this family and eat a meal and give them his thanks properly, but if these people see him, he’s certain they’ll know where he comes from. They’ll know what blood flows through Bolin’s veins and they’ll turn him away. They won’t continue to feed or teach him; he won’t be welcome at their home or around their children. Mako refuses to ruin this for Bolin, so he forces himself to turn and walk away. He looks back at Bolin and sees him approaching the house. He’s swept up into a hug and Mr. Pao runs his hand over Bolin’s hair affectionately. They lead him inside and Mako swallows around the knot in his throat and continues home.

That night he has dreams of Bolin never coming back. Bolin’s tall, handsome, he looks like their father in every way but one. Where his father’s eyes were always soft and warm, this dream-Bolin’s eyes have the same hardness of Mr. Pao’s. Bolin is the one who encases his legs in earth, is the one to spit at him and say, “damned Fire Nation scum”. 

Mako doesn’t even think to fight back.

 

\-----

 

In his sleep, Mako whimpers and Bolin rouses to awareness. He looks over and sees a sheen of tears on Mako’s cheek. Bolin sits up, rubbing at his eyes, and shifts to press himself closer to Mako, petting his hair and humming like Mako does to him when _he_ has bad dreams.

“Don’t go,” Mako whimpers into the night and Bolin feels tears burn in his own eyes. “Please don’t go.” Bolin brushes his fingers over Mako’s closed eyes, whipping away the tears falling there. He thinks Mako’s dreaming about their parents. He still does too some nights and he leans down to whisper into Mako’s ear.

“I’m still here, Mako,” he says, hoping the sound of his voice will find his brother in this nightmare and soothe him. “You’re not alone. I won’t go anywhere.” 

\-----

The weeks pass by and Mako’s mood shows no improvement. Bolin spends most days with the Pao’s and he’s always pressured to invite Mako to dinner. Mako always refuses. Eventually, Bolin begins to eat there, bringing Mako’s meals back home for him to eat alone while Bolin practices the bending moves Mrs. Pao had shown him. He wishes he knew what was wrong with Mako, but every time he asks Mako brushes him off. He hates when Mako’s upset and he wishes Mako would just go to the Pao’s with him. He’d feel better around the family, he’s sure of it.

Bolin’s pondering how to coax Mako into joining him here while helping Mrs. Pao with dinner when Mr. Pao bursts through the door. Bolin jumps and his eyes track Mr. Pao as he angrily walks across the kitchen. He’s enraged, face red and huffing. Mrs. Pao immediately goes to him, running a soothing hand over his shoulders and Bolin steps away, anxious. His own parents had never yelled or been so visibly angry. The only time he’d seen adults like this were when he and Mako were caught digging through the trash for their next meal. He hasn’t experienced it in a while and his heart upticks with old panic.

“Did you see?” he asks through clenched teeth, pacing away from Mrs. Pao. “Those _firesnakes_ have set up a damn _nest_ down the street.”

Bolin perks up, despite the tense atmosphere. He loves animals and he’d never even _heard_ of a firesnake.

“Where?” He hadn’t realized he’d asked the question out loud until Mr. Pao’s head whips towards him, face stony and serious. He strides over to Bolin and he barely keeps from flinching away when the man kneels and grabs his shoulders.

“Listen to me, Bolin. I don’t want you going anywhere near them! They’re dangerous. There’s no telling what could happen to you.” 

“Oh.” His eyes are wide. “Well, maybe you could call someone to come get rid of them? They shouldn’t nest so close to the homes if they’re dangerous.”

Mr. Pao’s face softens into something like pride. “They shouldn’t even be allowed in the city.” Bolin nods dutifully, wondering how a city could even deny animals access, but deciding not to ask.

“Are… are there a lot in the city?” he asks. 

Mr. Pao scoffs. “More than there should be. 

“I should tell Mako,” Bolin says, face dropping with worry. “I don’t think he knows.”

They exchange a glance above his head and Mrs. Pao comes to kneel beside her husband and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Your brother has a healthy amount of caution about him. I’m sure he knows and is staying safe.”

Bolin nods, but still worries his lip. He spends the rest of the evening antsy, ready to leave and go warn Mako. Just in case.

\-----

“Hey, Mako,” Bolin says when he’s back in their alley. Mako looks up and smiles, his face softening in the glow of the flame in his hands. 

“Hey,” Mako says, voice low. “How was your day?”

“Did you know there are firesnakes here?” Bolin asks before Mako finished speaking. Mako freezes and Bolin steps closer.

“What.”

Bolin mistakes the icy tone for worry and continues with a serious nod. “There are a lot of firesnakes in the city and they’re _dangerous_.”

“Did… did the Pao’s tell you that?”

Bolin nods earnestly. “They’re sure you’ll be fine, but I’m… you spend so much time alone. I don’t want anything to happen to you.” 

Bolin watches as Mako lets the fire dim in his palms, his fingers twitching like he’s going to snuff it completely before he lowers his hand and lights the small woodpile they use at night on fire. Bolin hates seeing his brother so serious. He wishes he’d smile more, wishes they’d play like they used to. He wishes Mako would go to the Pao’s with him, so he wasn’t in the dirty alley all the time, where anything could be slithering under the trash around them.

“They’re right,” Mako says after a long silence. “I’ll be fine, Bo, don’t worry about me.”

It’s only a few weeks later when the next incident happens, but this time, Bolin understands. 

Fliers litter Republic City, boasting about a Fire Nation heritage festival occurring at the end of the month. Bolin’s more than excited about it; he’s sure this is something that will be certain to bring Mako out of the funk he’d fallen into. Whether he has to drag Mako there himself, his brother _will_ be going with him. Now, he just has to see if the Pao’s are interested. If he can get Mako to meet the Pao’s without knowing beforehand, maybe he won’t be so worried and realize they desperately want to meet him. 

He waits until the family is sitting for dinner before he asks what’s been gnawing at his mind.

“Have you heard about the Fire Nation festival?” Bolin asks innocently. Mr. Pao huffs and Mrs. Pao goes stiff, her lips thinning.

“Like they have anything to be proud about,” Mr. Pao scoffs and Bolin frowns, but carries on.

“There’s going to be firebenders there,” he says, hoping to entice curiosity or excitement in them. He looks to his friends but they’ve gone just as stiff and disgusted as their parents.

“Those snakes hardly need any more encouragement to bend that dangerous element.”

Bolin’s stomach twists uncomfortably and his lips trembles. “What,” he asks softly, but now the kids have joined in, speaking horrible things that have Bolin’s heart pounding in his chest.

“My… my brother’s a firebender.” The words fall from him quietly, but the rowdy table goes silent.

“No, he’s not,” Yuluz says with a sneer and Bolin sets his jaw.

“He is too! And he’s not dangerous,” he raises his voice and looks over to Mrs. Pao, for help or to see her reaction to the statement, he’s not sure.

“Then that means,” she says, voice trailing off as she looks to her husband with serious eyes.

“My mom was from the Fire Nation!” he shouts. He’s breathing heavily and he wants his brother so badly he thinks he could die.

“I-I have to get home,” he says and pushes away from the table. He runs out their door and keeps running until he thinks his chest will explode. He pauses just long enough to catch his breath and then he keeps running. His legs burn by the time he reaches the alley and Mako looks up as Bolin trips over his feet and falls at the mouth of the alley.

“Bolin?” he asks in surprise, rushing to his side. Bolin sits up, but doesn’t move as Mako kneels beside him and looks at his scraped up hands in worry. Mako looks up and his mouth falls open upon seeing the tears wetting Bolin’s cheeks.

“Hey, come on, it’s not that bad,” Mako says, voice soft and comforting and Bolin’s stomach twists. How could they hate someone so kind, he wonders as a sob works its way up through his throat. “Look,” Mako continues, “it’s already stopped bleeding. The pain will be all gone in the morning.”

Bolin doesn’t even feel the pain, he’s just consumed with the heartache of hearing such hatred come from people he trusted. People he _liked_.

“Bo?” Mako asks in surprise as Bolin’s sobbing began anew. Bolin launches himself at Mako, his cries muffled in Mako’s shoulder. Mako wraps his arms around Bolin and shifts so that Bolin can be curled against Mako’s chest.

“Hey, hey,” Mako says softly. “What’s wrong?”

They called him a _snake_.

Bolin clings tighter, but Mako forces them apart and cups Bolin’s face, wiping away the tears falling relentlessly.

“ _Bo_ , I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

“Mako,” he stutters out around shaky breaths. “What’s a firesnake?”

Mako freezes and Bolin struggles to catch his breath.

“What?”

Bolin doesn’t repeat himself, but he looks at Mako with wide, wet eyes and Mako sighs, looking away.

“It’s… it’s not a nice name for a firebender,” he says finally, voice soft, and Bolin begins sobbing again.

“I’m so sorry, Mako! I didn’t know.” He throws himself at Mako and cries into his chest while Mako pets his hair. Mako hushes him softly and rocks him as best he can; Bolin can feel the hums through his chest and he presses his face into Mako’s neck.

“It’s okay, you didn’t know,” Mako says on loop, his voice never changing from its comforting softness.

“I’m never going back there again, Mako. Not ever,” Bolin swears and when he looks up, Mako has tears welling in his own eyes. “ _I love you_ , Mako,” Bolin says fiercely and Mako squeezes Bolin tighter.

“I love you too, Bo. We’ll be okay.” Mako keeps rocking him. “We’ll be okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh I hope yall enjoyed! This was unbeta'd because I was too excited to post so if you see anything glaringly wrong pls let me know! <3


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